Search committee begins process to find new School of Education dean

Students work in the education library Wednesday afternoon. The School of Education will be getting a new dean, replacing current dean Terry Mason.
Mallory SmithBuy Photos

The School of Education is looking for a new dean. The search committee met Nov. 6 to begin the process of filling the position.

“I look forward to the next chapter of leadership in the School of Education during a moment of such active discourse on the value of public education,” Provost Lauren Robel said in an Oct. 27 press release.

Lee Feinstein, dean of the School of Global and International Studies, is chair of the search committee, and he said his role is to ensure every member of the committee can express its priorities for the new dean.

"We’re early in the process, but we’re off to a good start,” Feinstein said.

Feinstein said the procedure involved in this dean search is similar to the one conducted when he became dean of the School of Global and International Studies.

“My role is in keeping with the tradition of the campus to have a dean help run searches,” Feinstein said.

He said they received a charge from Lauren Robel talking about the importance of the search for the campus at their Nov. 6 meeting. They also began to discuss how to create a diverse pool of candidates and what their calendar will look like for the rest of the year.

A search firm will work to get the listing out nationally and find a diverse group of candidates, he said. This meeting was the committee’s first opportunity to work with the search firm.

He said they are in the first stage now of developing a position description which the search firm will then work to spread nationally.

“I was very impressed with the committee’s commitment and their collegiality,” Feinstein said.

From there, the committee will conduct interviews with the semifinalists in downtown Indianapolis, Feinstein said. They will then narrow those candidates into a group of finalists who will come to campus and meet with the search committee.

“We are seeking the deepest pool of candidates,” Feinstein said.

He said the search committee with its 16 members consists of faculty and staff from the School of Education, a student representative, an alumni representative and a faculty member from the Jacobs School of Music who is connected with education. Having a variety of members will help gather a diverse group of candidates.

“The different perspectives will help us to ensure we are casting the net widely,” Feinstein said.

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